Variables come in many varieties. They are used to control settings and properties relating to the server environment. The three main types of variables that you should understand are environment variables, WebSphere® variables, and custom properties.
Environment variables, also called native environment variables, are not specific to WebSphere Application Server and are defined by other elements, such as UNIX®, Language Environment® (LE), or third-party vendors, among others. Some of the UNIX-specific native variables are LIBPATH and STEPLIB. These variables tend to be operating system-specific.
Environment variables can also be specified as an application server environment entry. To specify an environment variable as an environment entry, in the administrative console, click
server_name. Then, under Server Infrastructure, click .Environment variables can also be specified as a servant custom property. To specify an environment variable as a servant custom property, in the administrative console, click
server_name. Then, under Server Infrastructure, click , select either , , or , and then click . This path is also used to set environment variables that control the collection of application server and Web container information in z/OS® System Management Facility (SMF) records.WebSphere variables are name and value pairs that are used to provide settings for any of the string data type attributes contained in one of the XML formatted configuration files that reside in the product repository. After a variable is defined, the value specified for the variable replaces the variable name whenever the variable name is encountered during configuration processing.
However, a Java EE 5 or later module can exist within an application that includes pre-Java EE 5 files and uses the .xmi file name extension.
The ibm-webservices-ext.xmi, ibm-webservices-bnd.xmi, ibm-webservicesclient-bnd.xmi, ibm-webservicesclient-ext.xmi, and ibm-portlet-ext.xmi files continue to use the .xmi file extensions.
sptcfgTo create or modify a WebSphere variable, in the administrative console click
.A variable can apply to a cell, a cluster, a node, or a server.
Custom properties are property settings meant for a specific functional component. Any configuration element can have a custom property. Common configuration elements are cell, node, server, web container, and transaction service. A limited number of supported custom properties are available and these properties can be set in the administrative console using the custom properties link that is associated with the functional component.
For example, to set web container custom properties, click
server_name, and then, in the Container settings section, clickCustom properties set from the web container custom properties page apply to all transports that are associated with that web container; custom properties set from one of the web container transport chain or HTTP transport custom properties pages apply only to that specific HTTP transport chain or HTTP transport. If the same property is set on both the web container page and either a transport chain or HTTP transport page, the settings on the transport chain or HTTP transport page override the settings that are defined for the web container for that specific transport.